for her research, mentorship and advocacy efforts — something
that came as no surprise to Edelgard Wulfert, PhD, dean of Albany
College of Arts and Sciences.

“Dr. Cimini has developed a remarkable scientific career
and is eager both to learn new things every day and to share her
knowledge with students and collaborators,” he says. “She is an
outstanding role model for students and colleagues alike.”

A mentor and a mentee

When Cimini is on her home campus, she can be found
facilitating a supervision group for predoctoral psychology
interns, leading a training seminar on disability issues or
substance abuse and prevention, or supervising any one of
the 180 undergraduates who run a peer-to-peer hotline. The
24-7 service, which connects student callers to peers who are
trained to listen and refer them for issues such as substance
abuse, eating disorders and relationship problems, has served
more than 83,000 students since its launch in 1970. Cimini

has overseen the aversion of such crises as school violence
and suicide.

“The first line of defense is the psychology interns — theyhave good judgment overall,” says Cimini. “When it gets tome, it’s really serious.”Cimini owes her rise into leadership roles on campus toher own persistence and the support of mentors who sawpast her disability. The director of Albany’s counseling center,Estela Rivero, PhD, for example, hired Cimini shortly aftergraduate school. “She really believed I could do whatever I setmy mind to, so I was able to spread my wings beyond doingclinical work,” Cimini says.

In 2004, Mary Larimer, PhD, a psychologist and director
of the University of Washington’s Center for Health and
Risk Behaviors, worked alongside Cimini on a major
research project supported by the National Institute on
Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse. Larimer inspired Cimini to
pursue further training to advance her goal of becoming an